1997 Ford E-250 problems
The 1997 Ford E-250 has 31 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (16%) concerns brakes. Next are engine (16%) and suspension (16%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 31 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 81,000 miles 11 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 11 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 81,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 80% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Ford E-250 with enough data (19 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
This is one of 2 1997 vans I own, the other van engine blew at 78000,this one did at 82000 ,and it is thought to be due to the rear seal leaking on exhaust and starting fire at tank.
Blown spark plug right out of the head, took the threads with it costing over $3000.00 ford will not except responsability for there negligence in there machine shop can you help?
Ford econoline ( 25v) 1997, engine burst into flames while driving. Prior to the fire the consumer had other work performed on the vehicle. The alternator was replaced, the overdrive light was on and it was difficult to shift into 2nd gear. The consumer wanted to know if the fire had anything to do with the faulty cruise control switch that are in ford vehicle.
The ball joints and tires wore out faster than normal. Driver noticed this problem every 5000 miles. The cause was lack of lubrication. Ball joints were replaced twice along with the front rim and the rotors.